10 Steps to Better Communication

1. Listen!
You've heard it before; you have two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk. Listening is twice as important to effective
communication as speaking is.

2. Hear!
To simply listen is not to hear. Hearing requires empathy and openmindedness. Pay close attention and don't let your prejudices or mental chatter get in the way of hearing someone else's message.

3. Speak your truth!
When you do talk, don't waste words. Say what is on your mind. Speak your truth plainly and clearly. Don't just recycle the common claptrap that is going around. If you do not know what your truth is, keep quiet.

4. Get empathy!
The fastest way into someone's heart and mind is to become empathetic. Show care, consideration and compassion for your fellow human beings. Your empathy for them will develop their empathy for you and then you can communicate your message heart-to-heart and mind-to-mind without barriers and filters getting in the way.

5. Get charisma!
Why do some people seem to have more presence than others? Because they are 100% present. Stand out from the crowd by being in the moment. Be here, now! Look people in the eye. Have a firm and warm handshake. Focus your energy on the now moment.

6. Paint a picture!
Most people are visual. Help them to see what you mean. Use the words that others use. They get it quicker. If they say, " Yes, I can see that," then you need to use visual imagery in your language.

7. Tell a story!
Some people are auditory. Assist them to hear what you mean. If they say, "Yes I hear what you are saying," then you need to use words that make sense to them. 'It sounds like', 'Music to my ears', etc.

8. Evince emotion!
Some people are kinesthetic (feelers). Aid them in feeling the meaning of what you say. Use the language they relate to. If they say, "Yes, that feels right to me", then you must help them to get your message where it counts…in their heart. Grab yourself an NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) primer and start using the basics.

9. The eyes have it!
Look people in the eye when you talk to them…for two reasons…one, you demonstrate your respect and attention, and two, you can pretty much tell if they are telling you the truth as they see it. You can also tell the nature of their personality. Like grandma used to say, 'The eyes are the windows to the soul.'

10. Say what you mean. Mean what you say!
Leave the lies, dissemination and the BS to the politicians. Speak your truth plainly and simply and then, plainly and simply, follow through on what you say. What you do speaks louder than what you say. People will remember one broken commitment and forget ten kept ones. If you are not going to do it, then don't say you will.

10 Steps to a Great Relationship

1. Allow!
Too many people attempt to change their partner. Change yourself and allow your partner to be who they are and become what they may. Even though you are sharing your lives and sharing a pathway, each must be free to travel at their own pace and take their own detours.

2. Accept!
Accept that men and women are different. Accept that individuals are different. Accept the love that is given. Accept the gifts that are offered. Accept that your partner is your mirror. The faults you see are likely also your own. The beauty you see is likely also your own.

3. Uplift!
Praise rather than criticize. Exalt rather than denigrate. Encourage rather than dishearten. Be compassionate rather than judgmental. Empower rather than control.

4. Be romantic!
Courtship and seduction should never stop. Compliment. Give a flower. Hold hands. Share ideals. Dine by candlelight. Walk in the moonlight. Share a sunset. Whisper sweet nothings. Say, "I love you", every day.

5. Touch!
Pat, pet, caress, cuddle, embrace, hug, massage your partner. A gentle touch in passing can mean more than words. A hug can fix a wounded spirit. A cuddle can fix all that's wrong with the world. And yes, make love too. Sex can be the best form of communication. Good sex can merge your souls. Regular sex helps you live longer and be healthier.

6. Communicate!
You may have been living together for 50 years but she/he cannot read your mind. If you are growing at all, you will need to share that with your partner or risk growing apart. Speak your hopes and dreams. Speak your fears and doubts. Speak your expectations. Speak your love.

7. Respect!
Self-respect is vital to avoid abusive relationships and co-dependent relationships. Respect and honor your partner, as you would like to be respected and honored. You are each sacred and your relationship is sacred.

8. Laugh!
If you can share a least one laugh every day, you will have fewer tears. A sense of humor is mandatory to survive life without bitterness; it is more than mandatory to survive a relationship. Almost everything you think is so important today will be a joke in a few years. Laugh about your foibles today. Why wait?

9. Learn!
The more you learn about each other, the more you can love, respect and honor who the other person is. The more you learn about life together, the more you will share. The more you learn, the more you grow. Grow together by learning together.

10. Love!
In order to be capable of loving another fully, you must first fall in love with you. Love yourself unconditionally and you become capable of loving another unconditionally. Unconditional love is freedom and fulfillment. Love is the highest thing you can aspire to. If anything in life is worth striving for, it is the ability to love more and more each and every day.

Bonus! Forgive!
You will hurt each other. Forgiveness is more than essential, it is mandatory. Every little grudge held drives a wedge between you. Forgive each other. Every little guilt builds a wall between you. Forgive yourself.
Forgiveness is a divine attribute. Approach the divine; practice forgiveness.

10 Steps to Spiritual Health and Vitality

1. Learn to revere yourself!
Act as if you were sacred. Because you are. Your body is a temple. Treat it as such. Your mind is a cathedral. Sing your psalms and pay your alms there.

2. Learn to revere everything!
Act as if everything were sacred. Because it is. Only the spiritually immature can possibly revere a divinity and not revere its creation — all of it. You can decide what you like or prefer or love, but you can't decide that some things are sacred and others are not. Either all of creation is sacred or none of it is.

3. Relish life!
Life is your gift. It is not to be distained, denigrated or denied. It is to be relished, enjoyed and honored. If you are inclined to pay homage to a creator, do it by demonstrating your appreciation for the gift of life. While you are at, relish, respect and appreciate ALL life.

4. Contribute!
Just maybe, one of the things you are here to do is to be of service. Find a way to contribute to life. Give the gift of who you are to your fellow creatures. Enhance the quality of life of other people. Ennoble your fellow humans.

5. Practice compassion!
If all things, including all living things and all other people are just as sacred as you, then it follows that the best thing you can do is to be
compassionate and allowing. Love!

6. Meditate!
Nothing gets you closer to the divine than meditation. It is said that when you pray, you are talking to the divine, but when you meditate, you are listening to the divine. Stop talking, get quiet, be still and listen. You might just hear something very important.

7. Opt out of your cult!
No one holds a franchise on The Truth. No church, no religion, no philosophy, no spiritual teaching owns The Truth. Pick whatever truth
serves you and use it, but recognize that it is just your truth amongst many. If someone tells you that they know a truth, listen. They might have something of value for you. If someone tells you they know The Truth, run away fast before they steal your soul, your mind and your wallet.

8. Get awestruck!
Teach yourself to see the awesome beauty of creation. Get wide-eyed innocent awe of creation. See the miracle. Being blasé about your
existence in the universe is idiocy. If the profound beauty of a flower doesn't blow you away, think about a billion, billion galaxies, all containing a billion, billion stars.

9. Practice gratitude!
Your best prayer is the expression of gratitude for life and all it has to offer. Say thank you every day for every day.

10. Develop a relationship with the divine!
Grow up. You do not need to have some parental god or goddess to approve or disapprove of who you are and what you do. You do not need some guru or preacher to interpret the divine. You can have a direct relationship with the divine. The kingdom is within you.

Bonus! Practice forgiveness.
Forgive everything. Yourself. Your world. Other people in your life. Events and circumstances. Trials and tribulations. Forgiveness frees you to move forward. Forgiveness frees you to grow. Forgiveness frees you to love and be loved. Love really is all you need. It is the answer to everything.
Remember this line, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." Try it on for size. It might fit